Saturday, April 22, 2017

I often lament the fact that attendance at our parish is
sparse.If the Catholic Church is the
true Church established by Jesus Christ, and the only place in town where He is
truly available, why aren’t we packed to the rafters, not only on Sunday, but
every day of the week?Surely we must
blame ourselves for not sharing our faith properly with our separated brothers
and sisters.But even those who know the
truth tend to stay where they are comfortable.

Many religious people have the idea that the Catholic Church
is just one choice of many.Therefore,
it really does not matter to which Christian denomination one belongs.This is especially true of Evangelical
Protestants who can choose their religious community to suit their taste, often
a preferred preacher or music they like.They seek comfort over truth.Being comfortable or satisfied where we are in our spiritual life is not
a good thing.We need to be curious and
inquisitive, always striving to dig deeper in our relationship with Our Lord.

A recent article by Ken Litchfield caught my eye on the
Catholic365.com website.He makes a
point that I have tried to respectfully make to my Protestant friends who
believe in a Bible-only tradition that denies the authority of the Catholic
Church.I point to the fact that without
an infallible Catholic Church, the Protestant could not trust the canon of
Scripture.The Church determined what
writings were inspired by God and could be included in the table of
contents.Ken Litchfield makes the
scriptural connection to the Catholic Church even more blunt when he says, “The
Bible is the collection of books that the Catholic Church decided could be read
at Mass.”Think about that, my
Protestant friends.Your faith is based
on a book the Catholic Church compiled for reading at Mass.You don’t have a Mass and deny its relevance
using the same book.

If you are content where you are in
your faith experience, you have a problem.A comfortable status quo does not foster spiritual growth.We must all continue to seek a deeper
understanding of God’s plan for us.Nowhere is His plan more accessible than the Holy Catholic Church.As John Henry Newman stated, “To be
deep into history is to cease to be a Protestant. “